PSC Mastery

Which degrees Kerala PSC recognises

Kerala PSC’s Circular 12/2018 sets the baseline: a degree from a UGC-recognised institution — state, central, deemed or UGC-approved private university, or a national institute — is acceptable without the candidate having to prove UGC recognition separately. The exception matters more than the rule: where a post’s Special Rules require the qualification to be recognised by a University in Kerala, an equivalency certificate from a Kerala university is needed regardless.

Steps

  1. Read the exact phrase in your notification

    Teaching-post notifications commonly use the narrower wording. The Higher Secondary School Teacher notification under Category 709-711/2025 requires a Master’s degree from a University in Kerala or a qualification recognised as equivalent by a University in Kerala. The High School Teacher notification under Category 601/2024 requires a B.Ed conferred or recognised by the Universities in Kerala.

  2. The general baseline

    Circular 12/2018 lists the acceptable institution categories and rests on a Government Order from 1965 providing that degrees from universities established by an Act of Parliament or a State Legislature, or otherwise UGC-recognised, are acceptable for appointment in Government service.

  3. Private universities are not automatically excluded

    UGC-approved private universities appear in Circular 12/2018 alongside state and central universities. For posts whose rules require only UGC recognition, they stand on the same footing.

  4. A degree from outside Kerala is a documentation step, not a rejection

    Where the Special Rules use the Kerala-university wording, the recruiting department is instructed to require an equivalency certificate from a Kerala university. That is a process to follow, not a bar.

  5. Recognition is checked against the current list

    Circular 12/2018 instructs departments to re-examine acceptability as the list of UGC-recognised institutions is periodically updated. A qualification’s status is not frozen at the moment you earned it.

  6. What we cannot tell you about distance mode

    Whether a specific distance-mode degree is accepted for a specific post is not something the Commission publishes a general rule on, and we found no circular naming the UGC Distance Education Bureau. Claims that distance B.Ed from one university is accepted and another’s is not are widely repeated and we could not source them. Read your notification and ask the Commission.

Frequently asked questions

Is a degree from a private university valid for Kerala PSC?#

Circular 12/2018 lists UGC-approved private universities among the acceptable institution categories, on the same footing as state and central universities — for posts whose rules require only UGC recognition.

Are distance-education degrees accepted?#

The Commission does not publish a general rule, and we found no circular referencing the UGC Distance Education Bureau. The answer depends on your post’s Special Rules and on the degree’s own regulatory standing. We will not tell you it is accepted, and we will not tell you it is not.

Does "recognised by a University in Kerala" mean I must have studied in Kerala?#

Read literally it is a recognition requirement, not a residency one — the degree must be issued by, or recognised by, a Kerala university. Confirm against your own notification’s exact wording, because this reading comes from the general mechanism in Circular 12/2018 rather than a sentence defining the phrase.

My university’s recognition status changed after I graduated — does that matter?#

Possibly. Circular 12/2018 tells departments to re-examine acceptability as the UGC list is updated, so status is assessed against the current list rather than fixed at graduation. If this affects you, raise it with the Commission before applying.

Official sources

Steps last verified against official Kerala PSC sources on 25 August 2026.

Where the Commission has not published a rule, this guide says so rather than guessing. Anything marked “not officially published” is exactly that.

This is an independent guide for aspirants, written from the Commission’s own published instructions. Portal screens and rules change — always confirm on keralapsc.gov.in and in your own Thulasi profile before acting. PSC Mastery is not affiliated with the Kerala Public Service Commission.